Intel joins Alphabet s unit Waymo on self-driving car technology
San Francisco Sep 19 (IANS) Intel is working with Waymo -- formerly the Google self-driving car project and now with Google s parent company Alphabet -- to advance self-driving car technology.
The newest vehicles from Waymo feature Intel-based technologies for sensor processing general compute and connectivity "enabling real-time decisions for full autonomy in city conditions " Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Brian Krzanich Chief Executive Officer of the semiconductor chipmaker foresaw driverless future as "one of the big promises of artificial intelligence (AI)."
However in a post on Intel s website late on Monday Krzanich cited safety as the single most important reason for the company s move.
"Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes worldwide every year - an average 3 287 deaths a day. Nearly 90 percent of those collisions are caused by human error " he wrote.
"Self-driving technology can help prevent these errors by giving autonomous vehicles the capacity to learn from the collective experience of millions of cars - avoiding the mistakes of others and creating a safer driving environment " Krzanich added.
Waymo s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans are being tested on public roads in Arizona and California.
He claimed that Waymo cars with Intel technology inside have already processed more self-driving car miles than any other autonomous fleet on US roads with 3 million miles (4.8 million km) of real-world driving.
"As Waymo s self-driving technology becomes smarter and more capable its high-performance hardware and software will require even more powerful and efficient compute " Krzanich wrote. "Intel s collaboration with Waymo ensures Intel will continue its leading role in helping realize the promise of autonomous driving and a safer collision-free future."
The world s largest and highest valued semiconductor chipmaker by sales since 1992 Intel was overtaken by the semiconductor unit of Samsung Group in the second quarter this year.
--IANS
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